Pen clip



March 11, 1952 BARTLETT 2,588,692

PEN CLIP Filed July 5, 1949 Inventor ERNEST BARTLETT A, Attorney.

Patented Mar. 11, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I PEN CLIP Ernest Bartlett, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Application'July 5, 1949, Serial No. 103,090 i i l 2 Claims. 1

This invention relates toimprovements in a safety clip for pens and the like and appertains particularly to a simple and reliable clip embodying a novel locking clamp and useable on all kinds of pocket-carried implements 7 An object of the invention is to provide a pen or like pocket implement with a spring clip attached by one end in any of the usual ways and having a releasable clamp hingedly mounted on its free end and utilizing the inherent spring tension of the clip to securely engage the fabric of the pocket and to snap into and out of gripping position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a safety clip for pens and the like that is neat and compact in structure, differing but little in size and appearance from the conventional clips.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a safety clip of thenature and for the purpose set forth that will engage the fabric of a pocket securely when in locked position thereon, is easily and quickly releasable, will occasion the pocket no damage or undue wear and is characterized by structural simplicity and durability and capable of manufacture at reasonable cost, whereby the same is rendered commercially desirable. 3

To the accomplishment of these and related objects as shall become apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as shall be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

The invention will be best understood and can be more clearly described when reference is had to the drawings forming a part of this disclosure wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of this safety clip applied to the cap of a fountain pen;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same clip;

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical section through the clip, engaging the fabric of a pocket with the locking clamp shown also in released position in dotted outline; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the hingeable looking clamp.

In this disclosure, the safety clip is shown as applied to the cap I of a fountain pen 2 of usual design and consists essentially of a spring metal stem 3 secured at one end to the cap in any of the well known and customary manners as by rivet or flared penetrating lugs or by an integral end plate 4 that in turn is fastened-to the cap. The fountain pen is representative of pocket-carried implements in general, the cap is but a convenient location for mounting the clip and the precise manner of attachment only an arbitrary selection. g q

Suitably applied as to the peripheryof a fountain pen cap 2 Q the resilient metal stem 3 lies substantially parallel with though slightly spaced outwards of the said cap. The free lower end 5 may be a little wider and is bent outwards or away from, the pen cap and terminally rolled inwards to provide a hinge pin bearing 6. Centrally of its side edges this outwardly arced and terminally rolled free end- 5 is interrupted by a relatively wide and deep notch l in which *a-locking clamp 8 is disposed inhinging relation to the sprin clip 3, on a hinge pin 9 in the inrolled hinge pin bearings 6 of the clip stem 3.

This locking clamp 8 that serves as the releasable pocket gripping member is an L-shaped lever that teeters intermediate its ends on the hinge pin 9. The upper or clamping arm 8a of the lever passes through the notch I in the clip stem 3 to underlie the arced end 5 thereof and terminally formed with a pocket pressing roll 8b. The lower or handle arm of the L-shaped lever B widens on each side as at 8d to conform to the contour of the clip stem 3 and is rounded at the lower extremity Be. More important is that it is terminally arced outwardly as at 8 to facilitate its engagement for releasing.

In form, the rectilinear portion of arms 8a and 8c of the L-shaped lever lie in such relation that if projected in straight lines they would form an obtuse angle at their junction. The illustrated embodiment shows this clamping lever as having a transverse bore 89 through which the pin 9 passes: It could if desired be'provided with aligned trunnions, one on each side, to turn in the rolled bearings 6 on the end of the stem 3. Particular attention is drawn, however, to the factthat the upper arm 801., from the pin axis to the limit of the rolled end 8b of clamp 8, is longer than the lateral spacing of the pin axis from the nearest point of the caps perimeter so that as the clamping lever 8 is swung from open to closed position, and vice versa, the clip stem 3 is sprung away from the cap as the pocket pressing roll 8b moves by in its arcuate sweep.

The partial rotation permitted the clamp is limited by its engagement with the front and back of the stem 3 at the notch I, being shown in both extreme positions in Figure 3. In closed position it will be seen the clamp is acted on by the spring tension of the clip stem through two points of contact, viz., the pin 9 and the engagement of the top edge of the notch I, and that in such position, depending on the varying thickness of the material of the pocket fabric, the clip stem 3 is sprung outwards and further that the limiting of the rotative movement of the clamp holds its lower outwardly flared extremity 8f spaced free of the pocket for easy engagement of the finger to flip it into unlocked position, as shown in dotted outline, in which latter position the tension of the stem 3 is relieved allowing the pen to be freely withdrawn.

In this unlocked position, limited by the engagement of the lower lever arm 80 with the outer top edge of the notch 7, it will be noted the upper clamping arm 8a lies in a plane flaring away from the pen cap 2, providing in efiect an open funnel like mouth to more readily locate and move down on a pocket when the implement is being inserted therein.

Froin the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be manifest that a safety clip is provided that will fulfill all the necessary requirements of such a device, but as many changes could be made in the above description and many apparently widely different embodiments of the invention may be constructed within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended that all matters contained in the said accompanying specification and drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitative or restrictive sense.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A safety clip for pens and like pocket implements comprising in combination with such implement, a resilient stem attached by one end to the said implement and lying spaced from 4 and substantially parallel thereto, said stem being notched at its free end centrally of its sides; and an L-shaped clamping member swingingly mounted intermediate its ends in the notched free end of said clip stem and rotatable through part of a revolution from free to clamping position and vice versa; said L-shaped clamping member consisting of two arms, namely anupper clamping arm and a lower handle arm lying in such planes at an obtuse angle to one another, and being limited by engagement with opposite sides of said stem at said notch to rotating through but a part of a revolution whereby in clamping position the upper clamping arm is pressed tightly toward the implement by the resilient stem and the lower handle arm is held in spaced relation outwardly therefrom; while in free position, with the'resilient stem unsprung, the depending clamping arm flares outwardly away from the implement.

2. The combination with the structure set forth inclaim 1 wherein the handle arm of the clamping member widens on emergence from the clip stem accommodating notch to conform to the contour of the clip.

ERNEST BARTLETT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 191,356 Mattson May 29, 1877 2,048,127 Larsen July 21, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 550,449 France Dec. 13, 1922 105,734 Switzerland July 1, 1924 

